Iranian Nuclear Program: Rhetoric and Reality

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Reading the professional punditry in Washington or the rhetorical nuclear and military pronouncements from Tehran, one would assume that Iran is very close to acquiring a nuclear weapon—and that the United States and Iran are on the brink of war.

“Israel and America will soon go to war with Iran—for as many times as it takes. In each instance, our proximate goal will be to kick the nuclear ‘can’ as far down the road as possible, but our ultimate goal will be regime change…Nothing is going to stop this war dynamic from unfolding…nothing. So get ready for war with Iran. Because once Assad is gone, that is what comes next.”

In Tehran, meanwhile, claims are made weekly about the supposed indigenous development of nuclear fuel rods, killer drones, next-generation centrifuges, and long-range missiles. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dons a white lab coat, points at some new technological innovation, or walks amidst a uranium-enrichment centrifuge cascade (which itself is under IAEA comprehensive safeguards). Elsewhere, ballistic missiles are rolled through Tehran like a homecoming parade for threat projections. Or, the possible mock-up of the downed U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel drone is prominently displayed next to uniformed men who run their hands over its radar-reflective skin.

These supposedly groundbreaking “threats” from Tehran are then elevated by the Western media, rewarding the Iranian regime with the strategic communications coup that it so desperately seeks.

Outside of the threat industries in Washington and Tehran, however, are the professional analysts of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), who provide assessments of foreign policy and national security issues for policymakers. Yesterday, two senior members of the IC testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee: Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess, chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Over the course of two-plus hours, the officials made four statements that provided a much-needed clarifying perspective amidst all the hyperventilating by the media.

Clapper: “We believe the decision [to pursue a nuclear weapon] would be made by the supreme leader himself, and he would base that on a cost-benefit analysis.” Iran does not want “a nuclear weapon at any price.”

Sen. Carl Levin: “Is it your implication that it will take more than a year for Iran to build a bomb?” Clapper: “Yes, sir.”

Burgess: “To the best of our knowledge, Israel has not decided to attack Iran.”

In other words, according to the heads of the IC and DIA: 1) against all odds, the supposedly “mad Mullahs” of Tehran are endowed with the capacity for rational human thought, and thus there might be diplomatic or economic inducements that could compel an agreement on outstanding questions regarding the nuclear program; 2) the United States has at least a year; 3) Iran is not looking to start a war with the United States; and 4) Israel has not yet decided to undertake a preemptive war with Iran.

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This crap. Iran is not the threat. Western Civilization is. PEOPLE ARE NOT BUYING THIS BULLSHIT ANYMORE. The powers that be are in a desperate power struggle with the rest of the people and governments of the world. They are trying to trick and fool us into the lie that Iran is a crazy, suicidal country that is inevitably going to bomb Israel. Israel’s own intelligence agency has come out and said even if Iran gets a nuke it in no way elevates that risk. WAKE UP PEOPLE. The powers that be are losing their power and they will start WW3 before that happens. Do not let them do this. IT will be the end of this great country.

Posted by The Real RealistApril 14, 2012 at 1:21 pm

It is clear that the person speaking in favor of Iran is either a terrorist or a stupid american liberal… probably from berkley but I doubt it seeing as his argument resembles that of a sixth grader.

Posted by DSeptember 27, 2012 at 3:19 pm

@The Real Realist: And why does it “resemble that of a sixth grader”? Care to elaborate?

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